Maxis partners with SECQME to launch Circle Watch for parents

Malaysian telco Maxis today announced that it has partnered with personal security tech startup SECQME, parent company of Watch Over Me, to launch Circle Watch, an iOS and Android app which gives parents peace money cannot buy.

Circle Watch can be used to locate family members and notify guardians when their loved ones enter or leave a ‘safe zone’. In addition, users can also request to be watched over and shake their phones to trigger an emergency alert — features adopted from the original Watch Over Me app.

While the app is free for download, it is made exclusively for both, prepaid and postpaid Maxis subscribers at MYR 3 (US$0.91) a month. At the moment, there is a one-month free trial period for Maxis customers.

Vincent Wong, Business Development Manager, SECQME, told e27 that non-Maxis customers can only use the app if they receive an invitation from Maxis customers. For example, if one family member is a Maxis user, he or she can send an invitation to other members who might be customers of other telecom companies. He said, “What’s even cooler is that (the) husband (Maxis user) can assign his wife (non-Maxis customer) as a guardian, so the wife can receive SMS notifications whenever their children leave or enter safe zone.”

The official statement noted that aside from parents, Circle Watch also targets individuals who are likely to travel alone for work, like property agents, sales executives and insurance agents. While Watch Over Me claims that companies can also make use of the app to keep track of their employees, usage of the app in a corporate setting could potentially turn creepy with stalking.

Maxis has a total of 15 apps under its Maxis Mobile developer account on the App Store, which includes MyMaxis, a utility app; Maxis Movies, an entertainment app; and Maxis Rewards, an app which rewards subscribers.

At the moment, there is a US-based app by the name of Circleof6, which allows users to reach out to a fixed group of six friends when they are in trouble.

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